1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the application of slide fasteners to garments having a slotted closure opening.
2. Prior Art
One of the methods commonly employed in applying slide fasteners to garments having a closure opening comprises the steps of sewing a pair of stringer tapes one by one to opposed marginal portions of the closure opening, applying a slider to the stringer tapes so as to be movable along rows of interengageable fastener elements carried on and along confronting longitudinal edges of the stringer tapes, and attaching a pair of upper and lower end stop means to the stringer tapes at their opposite ends, respectively. This method requires a lot of time and effort.
Another method is known in the art in which a finished slide fastener is attached to a garment. A slide fastener is first placed on a garment with interengaged rows of fastener elements in alignment with a closure opening in the garment. Then, the associated slider is moved downwardly toward the lower end stop member so that the slider will not make contact with a presser foot of a sewing machine to prohibit it from interfering with the sewing operation. The slider is again moved upwardly toward the upper end stop means to locate it at the portions of the stringer tapes which have been sewn to opposed marginal portions of the closure opening so that the slider will not interfere with the subsequent sewing operation. This is time consuming and involves additional labor because the slider has to be moved downwardly and upwardly during the sewing operation. Further, with this conventional method, the lines of stitching are subject to disturbance since the sewing operation is interrupted.